In view of stricter regulations and higher oil prices, the automotive industry has been aimed at lowering fuel consumption for automobiles powered by internal combustion engines. However, one known trade-off associated with reducing fuel consumption (e.g., improving fuel economy) is a proportional reduction in performance. Although some people prefer improved fuel economy over performance, others would desire performance over fuel economy. Accordingly, recent advancements in the automotive industry have attempted to satisfy the demands of both types of driving preferences by reducing fuel consumption while minimizing losses in performance.
Some engine systems have been configured to improve fuel economy and reduce performance losses while operating in a single standard mode. In other words, such systems operate in a single operating mode.
Other engine systems can be switched between multiple modes of operation (e.g., performance mode and economy mode) via a user-accessible interface (e.g., a button, knob, or graphical user interface) depending on the preferences of the user. The ability to switch between multiple modes provides certain advantages. However, while such hand-operated interfaces may assist in facilitating relatively infrequent switching between semi-permanent modes of operation, they are not conducive to quick, frequent, and/or semi-automatic switching between modes of operation.